[author] I realized after I posted the chapter that I accidentally deleted a section, making the flow confusing. Now I have to rewrite it since I can't find the saved version.[/author]
As Genji fell, he activated Lightweight, drastically slowing his descent. A black glow enveloped his body, an indication of the strengthening state.
At this moment, he had 733 energy. The berserk skill consumed 5 points per minute, but he didn't plan on remaining in this state for long.
Flashstep
Using this movement skill multiple times, he appeared close enough to inspect the brontosaurus's stats.
[Parasitized Brontosaurus]
Health: 7,698/13,800
Energy: 40/40
Con: 38
Str: 31
Dex: 16
Int: 4
Spc: 2
Mini-boss: +10,000 hp
Tough Skin: +5 defense
Parasitized: Cannot be instantly killed unless you kill the parasite
High regeneration (parasite passive): Restores 50 hp every 2 seconds
It was a tanky build with highly imbalanced stats, something Genji could handle. 500 points of energy were instantly consumed as an intense shadow flame coated [Jagaur].
Genji disappeared again as a large wound formed on the front leg. Blood splashed everywhere, but Genji had vanished once more. Appearing next to another leg, he swung the saber like a bat, cleaving out a large chunk of flesh. With this cut, the shadow flames detached from [Jagaur] and continued to slice away at the leg.
Feeling the attack, the giant beast tried to stomp him, but Genji disappeared before it could bring its foot down. From his vantage point, Hamilton was able to see the shadow flames severing the leg as the behemoth attempted to lift it. This sudden change caused it to lose its balance and tilt on its side.
It was a shocking sight considering not many weapons could deal this amount of damage.
"What the hell was that?!?" Hamilton asked no one in particular.
"My trump card."
"What?"
Hamilton wasn't expecting any answers, so he jumped back, startled when he heard one. Looking back, he saw a panting Genji leaning against the railing.
"When did you get back?"
"Just now," Genji answered between heaving breaths.
"Why did you-"
"I delayed for one minute," Genji summarized his action in a simple manner.
"That's not the point. How can you casually jump to face that-"
"I did what I deemed necessary. By severing the leg, I bought enough time. Even if it tries to sew the leg together, it won't have enough time. We've survived this crisis."
It happened exactly as Genji predicted. The Brontosaurus didn't have enough time to reach them. Minutes later, a large amount of energy gathered above the fortress, compressing and forming a miniature star. The orb continued to grow in intensity, becoming brighter and brighter. Soon it became so bright that Genji had to avert his gaze.
*zzzeeeewwww*
As the laser fired, a flash of white covered everything in Genji's sight. He hurriedly closed his eyes as a sizzling sound reached his ears. A few seconds later, the light dimmed, allowing him to open his eyes to see nothing.
He hadn't gone blind. It's just that there truly was nothing in sight. The large dinosaur he had been looking at prior, had vanished. The only indication of its existence was the charred ground beneath its previous position. Not even ashes remained.
[You have defended the fortress. Due to your spectacular performance, you are rewarded with 25,000 contribution points.]
"Do you think we can leave now?" Genji asked once he confirmed the mission's completion, eager to get some rest.
"Hold on, let me ask."
Hamilton pulled out his communication device and spoke with the personnel. After giving his report, he received an affirmative answer.
"Group A-2 will come up to replace you."
Hamilton let out a sigh of relief when he heard this. To be honest, he was also tired from everything and could use some rest. While he could continue holding the tower, it would be very dangerous, especially in their exhausted condition after multiple battles.
"You've worked hard," a group of 5 relieved them after a few minutes. "Leave the rest to us, Hamilton."
"Thank you. That was one hell of a session."
"Yeah. I watched everything. Especially your partner. He was insane, both literally and figuratively."
"I prefer crazy," Genji interrupted.
"Is there a difference?" Hamilton rolled his eyes at how particular his comrade was about his adjectives.
"Actually yes. Insane means I do things without thinking, while crazy means I dare to do things normal people wouldn't consider."
"Yeah yeah. Now scram and leave this place to us." The squad wasn't interested in continuing the conversation and began setting up their equipment.
Genji shrugged and started walking down the tower, with Hamilton closely following behind.
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The following day, Genji was called to meet the commander. Seeing him enter, the man handed over a map.
"What's this for?"
"I want you to help out with an important mission."
"Why me? Couldn't you find a better candidate?"
Genji was not looking down on himself, but telling the truth. On this battlefield, the faction can easily find a member with stats in the 40s for help. He doubts someone like that would refuse the contribution points so there should be no reason such a mission falls to him.
"I'll be frank with you. The main battlefield has encountered some difficulties and needs everyone they can get. That's why such strong enemies slipped through."
[You have been offered the mission: Explore the Ruins]
Description: Join the team of Celestials in scouting a ruin.
Reward: 50,000 contribution points.
"I'll do it."
When Genji heard this, he became relieved. There's a big distinction between him going because there's no better option and him going because the commander singled him out. Since he confirmed it's not a scheme, he can rest assured.
As for why he accepted despite unknown dangers, it has to do with the rewards. 50,000 points is a lot - far more than what he had accumulated despite his massacres.
"Thank you. I can now rest assured."
With how things are, they don't have any good options. The headquarters gave this urgent mission and they have to complete it. Luckily, Genji was available. With his previous display of power, the commander is relieved to have another decent fighter on this exploration.
"When do I leave?"
"In three hours. The team is preparing right now."
----------------------------------------
"You're the helper?" A Celestial in light armor asked Genji as he entered.
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"The one and only."
"Get ready then. We're setting out in an hour."
The person redirected his attention to ensure that everything was prepared for the expedition. Since they were leaving the fortress, they needed to make adequate preparations, or they might end up dead. Once they left, they would be on a limited supply of energy, and there wouldn't be any reinforcements to back them up.
It was because of these harsh conditions that only the stronger members of each faction dared to go alone. As for the weaker members, the best thing they could do was pray they wouldn't encounter these stronger members.
Genji also readied his equipment for the journey. He disassembled his sniper and placed it into a metal box, strapping the normal rifle over his chest. This expedition was going to test a lot, as he could no longer bombard his enemies with an endless supply of bullets.
Soon, they boarded a hover car and set off for their destination. As for why they were using a hovercar instead of a ship, it had to do with energy consumption. After the second firing of the photon laser, they were in dire need of replenishment, so they had to opt for a smaller consumption.
Throughout the trip, Genji sniped some targets that got too close to them, a combination of Zerg soilers, parasitized creatures, and robots. As for beasts, they would be in dire trouble if they encountered one. Overall, it was mostly a smooth trip considering Genji never had to bring out the sniper.
Upon arriving at their destination, Ale, the leader of this exploration, stepped forward.
"Many of you might already know this, but be careful as we explore this place. This ruin of unknown origins has a high chance of containing traps. Don't expect them to trigger only from the front. For all we know, they could explode after half of us walk over them, causing significant casualties. Don't take that as a joke. There have been many precedents that have wiped out expeditions. With that being said, let's proceed."
The group made their way to the semi-blocked entrance on the side of the mountain. From the look of things, this ruin must have been discovered when a stray attack landed here.
Genji hopped over the rocks and walked through the dim hallways. To be honest, the interior was in better condition than he expected, given the staleness of the air. He lightly knocked on the walls and felt a dull vibration. These were thick walls made from an unknown stone. Very durable as well.
Soon, they entered a room about the size of a gym. The group spread out and began searching for clues. At the front of the group were five expert archaeologists, examining anything they deemed noteworthy.
Genji stood back, guarding the entrance. He had no knowledge of this area, so he wouldn't interfere. The last thing he wanted to do was destroy an important clue or trigger a trap.
Half an hour later, the entire room had been examined, but the head archaeologist shook his head at Ale. Ale nodded in response and led the group down another hallway. Genji suspected that the group was trying to minimize their noise level, but he didn't know why.
The group continued their excavation for a few more rooms until someone found something noteworthy. As they were feeling the floor, they detected a groove that was uncharacteristic of the smooth floor around it. When Ale cleaned the area, a trapdoor was revealed.
Everyone exchanged glances and took multiple steps back. Then Ale pulled with all his might, yet the trapdoor opened more easily than he had expected. From the side, Genji heard the twisting of gears and the winding of cables. It seemed like this trapdoor had been designed to be easily opened.
A cloud of dust filled the room, and an old, musty smell leaked into the air. When the dust settled, Ale pointed at someone and beckoned him over. When the person approached, Ale handed the handle attached to a metal cable to him. Then he motioned for everyone to follow him, leaving the one person to hold the trapdoor open.
Genji waited for everyone to enter before covering the rear of the group. He slowly walked down the polished stairs, following the light in the distance. After descending several flights, Genji finally stepped onto level ground. He looked around and found himself in a semi-open room.
Different types of machines embellished the place, but he was unable to discern their purpose. The exploration team began fidgeting with them, but it appeared that the machines were missing a power source.
Genji also noticed the surprising lack of dust, which was unusual for a place with such musty air. He found this peculiarity interesting, but the explorers didn't seem bothered by it.
After some more fidgeting, Ale led the group out of the room and into a series of hallways. He fell into thought for a while before making a series of gestures. From what Genji could tell, they were splitting up to cover more ground. Everyone nodded and reorganized themselves into three groups.
Genji joined a random group and began exploring the area. Based on his observations, it appeared to be a laboratory or technology development center. There were so many machines that it can't be anything else.
Most of these machines were useless and indecipherable, so the group stopped paying attention to them after a while. Given the expansive size of the place, they picked up their pace. If a room contained numerous machines, they would briefly inspect it before moving on. This continued until they stumbled upon a room with a diamond-shaped frame enveloping a dull sphere.
Genji didn't know what made this room stand out, but the archaeologists immediately activated their communication devices when they saw it.
"It's confirmed. This is a Mecalan ruin. I've found a hyper core."
"Understood. Let's regroup in the first room."
The archaeologist signaled for someone to retrieve the item and move on. However, when someone attempted to lift the core, it remained stubbornly on the ground.
"What's wrong?" the archaeologist asked.
"It's heavy."
"Allow me," Genji spoke up at this moment.
The Celestials sent out on this mission had a wide range of strengths. While Ale's stats were in the 30s, these regular soldiers had around 16 points in strength. Due to the separation, Genji had the highest strength in the group.
When one's stats reached the 20-point benchmark, the capabilities of all stat points doubled. This meant that someone with 20 strength could lift twice as much as someone with 19 strength. It was a significant leap.
When Genji touched the core, he understood why the soldiers had struggled so much. Even with his increased strength, he had a hard time lifting it despite the core being the size of his palm.
"Just what is this thing?"
"A hyper core."
"I heard you the first time. I'm asking what's so important about it."
The archaeologist pondered for a few seconds before answering.
"I suppose there's no harm in telling you. A hyper core is the only thing that can store level 4 energy. So far, only one race has been able to manufacture these: the Mecalans. The Celestials have only uncovered a few of these, and each one is a trump card on par with the photon laser."
"So why haven't I heard about these Mecalans?"
If what the archaeologist was saying was true, then the Mecalans should have technology surpassing everyone else. This alone should make them a formidable force on the battlefield, so why are they unknown? He doubted that they could hide so well that the Solus wouldn't know about them, especially considering how a random archaeologist could tell him about it.
"Because they no longer exist," the archaeologist made a startling statement.
"Gone? But how is that possible?"
"No one knows. They simply disappeared one day. All of a sudden, these overlords vanished without a trace, leaving only these abandoned bases for people to find. Truthfully, our faction only managed to develop our energy weapons after finding some of these ruins."
More information was revealed, but Genji focused on one word.
"Overlord?"
"Yes. They were once the most advanced race in our galaxy. They were so far ahead in technology that they were the rulers of this place. Zergs were their slaves and beasts were their pets. The Parasite King wasn't in existence at the time, and the Celestials were still living in caves. As for the Sentinels, I don't know where they popped up from, but there are rumors that the Mecalans created some robotic servants.
Either way, all the theories say that the Sentinels acquired some of the Mecalans' technology when they vanished, leading to their rapid advancements. However, I find that hard to believe. How advanced would they have to be to create an entire race that can fight on par with the others? Either way, this discovery will allow our technology to reach new heights and hopefully stabilize the front lines."
This was not what Genji had expected when he asked about the hyper core. To think that he would receive a history lesson on the origins of the factions fighting on this planet. Who could have imagined that four of the native factions were associated with this mysterious race?
"This is the hyper core?" Ale asked when they reunited.
"Yes. It's empty, but it will be a powerful trump card once we bring it back. After the situation stabilizes, we can send more people to excavate this ruin. I can tell that we've only scratched the surface of this place. If we can fully explore it, we might achieve our next significant technological breakthrough."
Ale's expression turned serious upon hearing the archaeologist's speculation. While he knew the mission was important, he hadn't expected it to be this critical. If headquarters became aware of this, they would likely send some core combatants to secure the area.
"Let's head back then. The higher-ups need to know about this."
"Sorry to interrupt, but can you take this off me? This isn't the easiest thing to carry around."
Genji suddenly spoke up, causing Ale to turn around and look at him. Realization dawned on him as he saw how strained Genji appeared. He had heard rumors of how heavy hyper cores were, but he hadn't truly considered it.
"Sorry about that. I forgot about the weight."
"That's fine. As long as you don't leave this on me any longer," Genji replied as he handed it over.
Upon taking it, Ale stumbled forward under the added weight. It took him a few moments to regain his balance before loud stomping sounds accompanied each of his steps. Genji was certain that if the floor were made of any other material, it would have sunk under Ale's weight, leaving imprints in his wake.
They ascended the stairs and greeted the person holding the trapdoor open. After taking a headcount, the group began retracing their steps, with Genji at the front. They had confirmed that the ruin was safe, so there was no need to cover the rear.
As they approached their vehicle, Ale froze. Genji walked around him to see the cause and froze as well. Standing by their hover car were two stone golems with blue energy lines coursing through their bodies.
Their luminous eyes turned to regard the approaching group before a robotic voice spoke.
"Enemy units detected. Exterminating."
Their energy lines illuminated as an energy beam shot toward them. Genji and Ale leaped aside, but the people behind them were not as fortunate.
[Sentinel #119, Sentinel #120]
Health: 23,800/23,800
Energy: 840/840
Con: 38
Str: 32
Dex: 25
Int: 41
Spc: 18
Skills:
Boss (passive): +20,000 hp
Hive mind (passive): Able to communicate telepathically with other Sentinels within a 5-kilometer radius
Hyperspeed processing (passive): Can process information as quickly as a supercomputer
Android command (passive): Able to command all robots within a 5-kilometer radius
"Shit! What are Sentinels doing here?"
"Assessing competence. Increasing output."
A brighter glow ignited as the other Sentinel charged up an energy beam aimed at Genji.
'Why me?'
Genji disappeared from his position, his form enveloped in shadow flames as they coated [Jaguar]. As his saber descended, the light in the Sentinel's eyes narrowed.
Mana Shield: Open
The Sentinel converted its energy into a barrier. Genji tore through this barrier as if it were paper, but the shadow flame dimmed, causing the strike to merely nick the Sentinel's body. Then Genji reappeared next to Ale.
"Darn, they're tough."
Ale examined Genji and threw him a badge.
"Don't fight them. Run!"
Ale then rushed at the Sentinels and struck out with his fist. A greenish energy gathered around it as it came down on the stone body.
Boulder Smashing Fist
Yet this attack was futile as another barrier appeared around the golem. The barrier rippled and reflected the impact, sending Ale back to his original position. By his feet, two deep tracks were carved into the ground.
"Why are you still here?"
"What do you mean 'why'? You tell me to run out of nowhere, and you expect me to understand?"
"Fine. I'll spell this out. I want you to abandon us. Escape and allow us to delay them for you."
"You'll die."
"Doesn't matter. News of our discovery needs to be sent back. You're the only one fast enough to escape them."
Then Genji quickly rolled aside, dodging another laser beam.
"Go quickly. Sentinels never go anywhere without a robot army. We're going to be surrounded soon."
Genji shot one last glance at the brave captain as he got up. With everything laid out so clearly, Genji would be stupid to stay behind, claiming to fight through the situation with the power of friendship. Hell, Genji doubted he could even put up a fight against one of them, let alone two. They simply outstat him too much.
"Everyone delay as long as possible! This is my last order as your captain!"
Genji heard this last battle cry before he vanished from hearing range.